TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
Neil Ferguson 
On April 22, Pine Bluff, Arkansas-based Simmons First National Corp. announced changes to certain senior leadership roles. The following changes were effective as of April 26. Simmons Bank operates 23 branches in Texas. Bob Fehlman has been named president and chief operating officer of Simmons First National Corp. and Simmons Bank. In these roles, he … Read more
After serving with Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based The Baker Group for 35 years, Lester F. Murray has announced his retirement as of May 28. He has been an associate partner with the company since 2014, working within the firm’s financial strategies group. Every Friday at lunchtime for the past decade, community bankers, directors and others in the … Read more
In April, Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust announced that Todd Meadows has been promoted to executive vice president/director of loan operations, Keith Purvis is now senior vice president/consumer lending manager and Chris Reynolds has been promoted to vice president/credit manager. Meadows has been employed in various positions within the bank and its holding company for … Read more
Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust recently announced promotions across a number of its banking office locations. Christian Cole has been promoted to banking officer/portfolio manager in the lending division of Texas Bank and Trust’s Van location. He joined the bank in 2020 as a credit analyst. In addition to his experience in the financial services … Read more
Addison-based Guaranty Bancshares Inc., the parent company of Guaranty Bank & Trust NA, announced on May 17 that Joel Johnson has been hired and appointed as the company’s chief digital officer. Johnson and his team will help the bank better serve its communities with digital banking offerings, including the potential cryptocurrency and digital wallet service … Read more
Corsicana-based City National Bank elected Executive Vice President Mark Jordan to the board of directors on March 4. He has worked for City National Bank since 2001. Jordan has 33 years of experience working in all areas of community banking and currently serves as chief financial officer and as a commercial lender for the bank. … Read more
What if we could predict the weather? On September 5, 1862, this question led James Glaisher to do something no one had ever done before. Along with aeronaut Henry Tracy Coxwell, he stepped into a hot-air balloon and ascended to heights never before reached, almost 36,000 feet. Before eventually passing out due to a lack … Read more
Kurt Purdom, deputy commissioner at the Texas Department of Banking, has announced his retirement effective August 31. The announcement comes after serving more than 39 years in bank regulatory supervision with the Texas Department of Banking. Purdom has held the position of deputy banking commissioner since November 2018. “Kurt has been part of this agency’s … Read more
Wichita Falls-based American National Bank & Trust recently announced the addition of three officers to the trust and investment services group: Beth Hearn Owens, Jennifer Bryson and Melissa Schreiber Hill. The trust and investment services group serves clients in more than 30 states and has more than $1.5 billion in assets under management. Beth Hearn Owens … Read more
Dallas-based PlainsCapital Bank has hired Derrich Rodriguez to serve as senior vice president and senior commercial loan officer with the San Antonio lending group. A longtime resident of San Antonio, Rodriguez has two decades of banking experience in the area. He joins PlainsCapital Bank from Amegy Bank, where he served as senior vice president of … Read more